Arya More continued her fine form as she scored a brace in Maharashtra`s 2-0 win over hosts Uttarakhand in their crucial fourth Group-II league match of the Hero 27th Senior Women`s National Football Championship at the IGIS Complex, Haldwani, Uttarakhand on Wednesday. This win ensured the Sanaya Anklesaria-coached Maharashtra qualify for the quarter-finals. On Wednesday, she scored her first goal in the very third minute, while she netted the winner in the 49th minute. Last week, More, 18, had netted a brace in the 2-0 win over Pondicherry.
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More, an FYBA student of Kamala College in Kolhapur, told www.mid-day.comthat the team were under pressure as they had to win this match to advance to the next stage. “I am really happy that I was able to fulfil what my teammates and coach wanted from me [score]. Scoring both the goals made me happy. Before the match, the entire team were under pressure to win. After I scored in the first half, the pressure was still there. But after the second goal, I felt a bit better. Now that we have qualified for the quarters, we still want to win against Chandigarh on April 8 and maintain our record of not losing a single match so far,” said More.
More explained how her teammates want her to become the top goal-scorer of the tournament. “After the match, the team started teasing me as `top goal scorer` as I scored two goals against Pondicherry, today`s brace and one against Mizoram. Though I felt good when they said that, this has also given me that added responsibility of not letting my team down.”
Meanwhile, the teen striker thanked her parents (Dhanaji and Mayuri) for being supportive. “They make sure they watch most of the matches. They have supported my football career all through. My mother was a kho kho player before she got married. I wish I could help her get back into sports in some manner once I start earning well,” More signed off.
